To Sacrifice for Life
by CagedSnow
Summary: Uzumaki Naruto was betrayed and struck down by his home...  Tia Harribel met the same fate... but other plans awaited them...
1. The Exchange

To Sacrifice for Life

Disclaimer: I own neither Naruto nor Bleach. Enough is said.

Act I: The Exchange

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><p>"I'm done with you," Aizen told Tia Harribel with a faint smile forming on his lips.<p>

"What…?" The armor-clad, dark-skinned blonde turned away from her three opponents. She stared at her leader with wide eyes as she covered her new wound with her free arm. Why had he struck her? She had always served him! She had always been loyal!

"It appears you are not strong enough," the brown-haired man went on as he sheathed his blade, "to fight for me." Dismissive of the Espada, he turned to look at his fellow shinigami. "Gin, Kaname, let's go."

Such a heartless blow and deep wound… what was Aizen thinking?

"I never thought after all the trouble I went through gathering you together that I alone would be more powerful than the lot of you."

Tia looked down, gritting her teeth in what seemed like silent fury. So this was it? They had been gathered as mere pawns to be sacrificed? Her aqua eyes focused on Aizen, brimming with anger. Because she had served him, her comrades had died! They had died for her, and she would have died for Aizen's cause… but not like this.

With a furious yell, the Trecera Espada lunged. "AIZEN!" Her blow connected, the blade in her hand, impaling the manipulator.

And everything was quiet. It couldn't be… that had just seemed too easy.

"… What a pain," Aizen muttered, only the barest hint of agony in his expression.

Suddenly, a sharp pain and a sword's tip made themselves present in her shoulder, drawing her attention behind her as the illusion in front of her faded.

There stood Aizen, scowling slightly with a tense grip on the hilt of the sword in his hand. "I will never let you raise your sword to me again."

He cleaved through her torso, sending the third-strongest of his subordinates plummeting toward the ground with a spray of precious blood.

"Now, let's get started…" she heard Aizen mutter to the opposing shinigami before her eyes shut for what seemed like that final time.

* * *

><p>The Tercera Espada's aqua eyes opened and searched her surroundings… there was nothing but white in every direction… no, it was more accurate to say that there were no directions at all. There was no concept of up and down or left and right. Though she could stand, this place lacked a horizon to see and a floor to stand upon. It was simply a void of white. It perplexed her. She last recalled being struck down by Aizen, and now she was here.<p>

… Oh.

So this was it, then. She could only wait for judgment to come, existing –for that was all she could do—in limbo.

Before she could ponder anything further on her position, a splitting pain assaulted her, bringing the arrancar to her knees. It felt like someone was driving a massive needle through her skull, penetrating her and extracting things…

A woman commits suicide because her child was stillborn.

A man with anger issues tries to seek violent revenge for getting fired, and is killed in self-defense.

A female convict, shortly after escaping, dies of bloodloss and hypothermia due to leeches.

An inmate is executed with lethal injection, a cost for homicide.

All these memories, the memories of those she had devoured, whom came to make up her being, were coming to surface. It was not just their deaths, but also their lives. The good, the bad, and the utterly hideous, as they say.

She just wanted it to end, so that judgment could be passed and she could meet her sentence. Then, when she thought it would finally end… one more set of memories passed through.

* * *

><p>"<em>If you dare lay a hand on Iruka-sensei again, I'll kill you!"<em>

"_My dream is to be the greatest Hokage! That way, the village will stop treating me like shit and start respecting me!"_

"_Hey you, the freak with no eyebrows! Put this in your book! The ninja who will become Hokage of the Village Hidden in the Leaves... never gives up!"_

"_It's unbearable, isn't it? That loneliness…"_

"_I will bring you back, Sasuke, even if I have to break your arms and legs to do it!"_

And then, after so many flashes, the last memories came, slower than the others.

_Naruto Uzumaki stared out at the world from his cell, awaiting execution. He honestly couldn't believe it. After all he had done, defending the village, helping gain allies, and finally bringing Sasuke back, preventing him from going to Orochimaru, he was going to be executed under the pretense of being a flight risk. Ever since the council had him locked up, only one person came to visit._

_Hinata Hyuuga…_

_Damn, he was such a blind fool! He kept chasing after Sakura, and someone who cared for and loved him had been right there supporting him! The blonde couldn't even tell Hinata he loved her back. He was still so confused. Even if he was not confused, it would make his death even more painful for her if he had told her._

_But she was the only one who cared. He knew that much. Sakura had gotten upset that he had to hurt Sasuke to bring him back._

"_Naruto, I asked you to bring him back to me! I didn't expect it to go this far!"_

_Tsunade had not even bat an eyelash at sentencing him._

"_Naruto Uzumaki, for the potential danger you may cause, I am afraid you must be executed."_

_The civilians on the council had cheered at those words, he recalled._

_Those from the retrieval team would not even speak to him. It was probably for the best. He imagined they were forbidden from talking with him._

_Only an hour into Naruto's reflection, the orange-clad blonde was being walked out to some public execution area near the Hokage's tower. He had no words to say, even when asked. The couple of ANBU whom escorted him had offered their apologies for following orders, saying he would have been a grand Hokage, but he paid no mind. It was probably just to make his departure peaceful. All he could think of was how fucked up his life had been…_

"_And now," Tsunade began the closing of the public 'ceremony', her voice almost sounding shaky. "The execution will commence!"_

_Taking those words as a signal, the ANBU whom had positioned his ninjato over the orange-clad ex-ninja's neck lifted the blade, and then he swiftly brought it down._

_He was now looking around, utterly confused. Sand… more sand than Suna… and a black sky with a crescent moon. Where was he? Shouldn't he be dead? Yeah, he had definitely felt the blade… But he thought that he was supposed to cease existing once he died. Was this his fate, to stay in eternal agony? He didn't want that… He just wanted it all to go away._

_Suddenly, something rose from the sands, shooting up like a weed and towering over the despaired, masked fox._

_Naruto did not quite know how, but this thing… He could tell it just radiated hunger. He had just come to this place, and already his problem had been solved. "Go ahead. Eat me."_

_The creature's only response, mindless from hunger, was to lunge._

_The last thing the most unpredictable, former ninja of Konoha felt was a set of sharp teeth enclosing around his body._

_And yet, he still saw something before he lost all comprehension. From the eyes of this thing that had eaten him, he saw the black body shift and morph into a far more humanoid shape, blue and white encasing the body…_

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><p>Tia Harribel, for the first time in her existence, felt her shoulders quiver in despair. That poor, poor boy had put everything –literally blood, sweat, and tears—into serving that village… only to be betrayed and scorned by those people. This had to be punishment, sharing the fate of the boy she had devoured so eagerly in the past. She had blindly put faith and trust in Aizen... and she had been cut down. Because of that blind loyalty, her subordinates had given their lives for nothing.<p>

Upon hearing the sound of metal striking metal behind her, Tia turned to face the source. A massive, towering gate drenched in blood and rust, adorned with human skulls and thorns faced her.

The still-released arrancar's gaze focused upon the blood-drenched gate as the chains strapping it shut severed and the doors split apart, ready to take the souls of the sinners she had devoured, and as consequence, the boy's soul.

"Apache, Mila Rose, Sun-sun, and Naruto Uzumaki… I am sorry," she muttered as she closed her eyes, resigned to her fate.

The chains lunged for her like serpents, ensnaring her limbs, coiling around her abdomen, and tightening around her body with enough force to dig into her exposed flesh, or more accurately her soul.

Tia felt herself being dragged.

"No, no young Hollow," a voice, both masculine and feminine yet neither, sounded out, prompting Tia to quickly reopen her eyes. "Your story cannot just end like that."

The cocoa-skinned blonde looked around, her expression only just showing a hint of confusion, even when her eyes found what she assumed to be the source of the voice, gripping the chains and halting their progress.

"Who are you?"

The figure, as white as the void around it, yet outlined with blackness, grinned at Tia's query.

"I am so glad you asked! I am what you call the universe, or perhaps the world, or perhaps truth, or perhaps Kami, or perhaps the shinigami king! I am one! I am all! But most importantly," it pointed to the deceased Hollow as the door to the underworld slammed shut behind it. "I am you!"

At once, the blonde felt new powers fill her up. What was happening? "Why deny me of ending it all, when that is all I can do?" she demanded stonily. "What purpose does it serve?"

"Oh, but there is plenty you must still do. The universe revolves around equivalent exchange you know," the nameless entity explained whimsically. "Once, a boy and his brother foolishly tried to revive their mother, and I gave them the knowledge to do so, taking away the arm and leg of one boy and physical body of another."

That smile… it was terrifying even the icy Espada.

"Another, more recent time, a human exchanged his life to seal one of my creations into his child. In exchange for his sacrifice, he wished the humans of his village to love the child as a hero."

That massive grin faded.

"However, the humans ignored the law of equivalent exchange and instead tormented the boy before killing him. That... irritated me. I had wished to give the child a chance once more in life," another grin threatened to split the entity's 'face' in half, "however since he lives on in you, young Hollow, you must go in his place. But first, you must pay a toll, 'Togabito'..."

Tia then felt the extra power she achieved from 'escaping' the underworld flow away from her body. The chains, in turn, began to rust and crumble until not even dust remained.

The entire time, she had never seen the _other_ gate, nor did she hear it opening, nor did she feel those black hands take away the unneeded extra power… in addition to a few souls from her body.

"Your kind has always intrigued me, Tia Harribel." the entity stated with clear amusement. "You are pinnacles of alchemy, when it all boils down to it: sentient philosopher's stones."

"Philosopher's stones?" the arrancar inquired as her ressurecion receded back, reforming her old uniform, the tiny jacket still open.

Everything began to fade into blackness, and the Trecera –no, the Privaron Trecera- Espada began to feel sleep claim her, no matter how hard she fought to remain awake.

"Take care, young Hollow. It would be a pain to see you here again so soon."

It had not even given her a choice in the matter.

* * *

><p>I accepted this challenge –Naruto becomes Ulquiorra—from <em>The Infamous Man<em> mainly because I was curious and I wanted to put my own twist on it. I've still yet to see one of Naruto becoming Baraggan, but that's not the point. The point is that we, as far as I have seen, always assume, because of the Kyuubi no Kitsune within his body, that Naruto will become some massive Vasto Lorde or some Arrancar that makes Aizen look weak. As far as I've seen, no one has written a fic in which Naruto has become part of a whole, even though Menos-class Hollows are technically beings made of numerous souls collected together in one body. So, on a whim, I decided to try it.

Harribel had an extra boost, even though it was extremely pointless and plot-based, due to escaping the underworld, much like these filler villains from Bleach's anime series. Exchanging that allowed her to live again, this time in Naruto's world, and exchanging a majority of the souls she had devoured over the years allowed her to keep her power.

"Truth" and The Gate are the only things that have to do with Fullmetal Alchemist that will appear in this story. It was there to fill in for 'higher power', and nothing else.

Anyway… All I can do is ask for readers to review.

**Next time is Act II: Making a Splash!**


	2. Making a Splash

To Sacrifice for Life

Disclaimer: I own neither Naruto nor Bleach. Enough is said.

Act II: Making a Splash!

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><p>Sunagakure no Sato, a ninja village surrounded by a vast desert… had become a battleground. Rather, the sky above the village was the true warzone, while the citizens and shinobi of Suna were forced to watch.<p>

A redhead youth –clad in red coat, a gray vest, and black pants and sandals, with a massive gourd strapped to his back—stood on a platform of floating sand, held up by his own will. Tired green eyes, the lids black with insomnia, kept their gaze fixed upon the redhead's foe.

Extending from the platform and surrounding desert were three massive, twisted appendages, all tipped with claws and seeking to trap and crush his foe.

The opponent was a ponytailed blonde man garbed in a black cloak adorned with red clouds, flying on his avian crafted from clay. He looked to his hands, smirking as the disgusting mouths formed and spat out two tiny, four-winged birds, both made of clay like his aerial ride.

_The next explosion will be faster, yeah…_ he inwardly told himself as he charged the constructs with chakra. Deidara then tossed the birds into the air, where they took off like bullets toward the Fifth Kazekage, Subaku no Gaara.

As if to mock the redhead, the twin birds weaved through the claws of one of the giant arms before taking off toward Gaara, whom was already twisting the sand in preparation for the imminent explosion.

The sand gathered.

Deidara readied a hand seal.

_BOOM!_

… That was not Deidara's work.

The sound roaring water filled the air, its source being a geyser between Deidara and Gaara. It was at least twenty-five feet wide, stretching to the heavens and raining down upon the surrounding desert.

The people could only watch as buildings crumbled into damp piles, and some even distanced themselves so they would not be struck by falling sand.

Gaara could only watch as his absolute defense began to crumble. His body and mind were exhausted from using too much chakra. Not even the hardened sphere, his truly final defense, stood up to the raining water.

Just as Gaara collapsed onto a roof, the geyser suddenly ceased gushing water, leaving behind more than a ruined portion of the village…

Deidara, though frustrated that his clay bird was now damp, hurried to bind and collect Gaara with a new strap of clay. He wasn't going to look a gift horse in the mouth. He needed to take the Jinchuuriki and get out of Suna fast!

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><p>Tia Harribel stood where the geyser had been, opening her eyes to take in her surroundings. She could feel her old outfit adorning her body and the weight of her zanpakuto and its scabbard against her upper back. A harsh, hot wind swept over her exposed chest and mask remains. With a sigh, she clasped the black-hemmed sides of the zipper of her small white jacket together, zipping down to cover her chest, leaving only the undersides of her boobs exposed.<p>

_Where am I? _she inwardly asked herself.

The former Espada's aqua eyes scanned her surrounds, taking in the damp piles and the tall structures. _These buildings are made of sand… Am I in a desert of some sort?_

Slowly, the blonde arrancar focused her reiryoku, and then she leapt high into the air, stopping to "stand" as if there was a platform beneath her feet once she was above even the highest building of this village. With her arms crossed, Tia surveyed the landscape.

It was indeed a massive desert. She doubted it could even compare to Hueco Mundo, but… it was large, all the same.

It was then that realization, and one of Naruto's memories, hit her like a Bala.

"_My name's Sabaku no Gaara…" the redhead responded to Sasuke's question as he he turned around to face Team 7. "And I'm curious about you, too."_

"_Sasuke Uchiha," the black-haired, blue-clad boy introduced himself._

"_Hey, I bet you're curious about me too, right?" Naruto let out, pointing to himself in excitement._

"_I could not care less," Gaara responded dismissively._

And that memory led to more…

"_Sand Burial!" Gaara cried out, leaving the rest to only watch as he crush Lee's arm and leg._

"_Yes… Yes, very good Naruto Uzumaki!" the sand-covered youth yelled out. Apparently, Naruto had impressed him._

"_No… no! Stay back! Stay away!" Naruto refused to listen, using only his chin to crawl closer to his opponent. He had to save Sakura!_

"… _But why? Why would you fight for anyone other than yourself?"_

"_Because they saved me from myself… They rescued me from that dark and lonely place…"_

"… Gaara…" Tia muttered. So, this was the home of Naruto's fellow human sacrifice. She recalled –Naruto recalled—his aura, in a way. He was a cold, dark, and lonely soul… One whom would have been worthy of being a powerful Hollow, if he had died.

With Naruto's curiosity overcoming her, the woman stretched out her senses for Pesquisa, to identify exactly where Gaara was. She closed her eyes and concentrated.

It was like the sonar of a submarine had settled within her mind. Various little blue flames made themselves known on the 'screen', most of them congregating together at a fixed point… but on the edge…

There! She could feel two weakened, but still strong powers. One was unfamiliar, but the other was definitely Naruto's friend… _her_ friend. Tia's eyes shot open as she faced toward the northwest. _But why is he heading away from the village? Who is that with him?_

With the sound of radio static on her heels, she dashed through the air, appearing to flicker from sight.

On the ground, the various shinobi and civilians stared. Even those who were not trained ninja saw a figure rise and remain suspended in the air. Even they had realized that whoever this mysterious figure clad in the color of death was, it had originated from the geyser that had left their leader defenseless. There was only thing they had yet to know… and they were dreading the answer.

Was this new person a friend or a foe?

* * *

><p>Deidara grinned with visible, twisted glee as he and his bird flew off toward the Land of Rivers. Just think. He and Sasori, whom was likely heading to the base as well, had gotten their assigned target on the first try!<p>

_Fuck you, Itachi!_ The mad bomber mentally shouted, glad he could one-up a wielder of the famed Sharingan.

The sizzling and scratching sound of static soon reached his ears.

The blonde's smile faded as he blinked, utterly perplexed at the sudden noise. "What the fu-?" he began, only to stop when someone suddenly just _appeared_ in front of him! His clay mount flapped frantically, but it soon settled back into even flaps, remaining airborne and allowing Deidara get a good look at this… woman, even as her own eyes scanned him up and down, seeming to be particularly focused on his cloak.

She had exotic dark skin, like some of the people of Kumogakure, piercing green eyes framed by blonde eyelashes, and messy short blonde hair with three braided locks, two on her left side of her face and one on the right side. She was wearing a white, black-trimmed jacket that covered the lower part of her face downward, baring a good portion of the lower half of large breasts. Deidara could make out a zipper running along its entire length, appearing to open from the bottom upwards, if the clasp hanging from the bottom was any indication. The jacket's sleeves completely enveloped her arms, terminating in black glove-like extensions at her fingers. Below her exposed, toned abdomen, she wore a white hakama, black tabi socks, and white sandals.

Oh, and she was _FUCKING FLYING!_

Even dumbfounded, however, Deidara never missed her drawing a strange, hollowed-out blade from the ridiculously broad horizontal scabbard on her back. The blade was longer than the sheath… Storage seal, maybe?

He only had a second to process all this before she spoke. "Drop him." Her tone was like ice, much like her eyes… much like Itachi.

Those cold eyes really pissed Deidara off. "And what if I don't, huh, lady?"

He heard the sound of static again, and then…

_SHWICK!_

Deidara's eyes went wide as pain suddenly engulfed his left arm, causing him to lose focus on Gaara's clay bindings as he held back a scream. Why… why did his arm feel like it was on fire?

"Interesting…"

Deidara looked up as the woman spoke… behind him. He turned around, snarling in defiance and agony… only to gasp in shock at seeing Gaara slung over her left shoulder.

"I expected my blade to cut your flesh, but instead it settled on cutting your soul."

Cutting… his soul?

Horrified as he recalled Itachi's and Kisame's report on what had happened to Orochimaru's own arms, the member of Akatsuki uncovered his arm… to reveal blackened, rotted flesh.

So fixated on his situation, so horrified that one of his sources of his precious art had been taken, Deidara did not notice the mysterious woman focus energy into the strange, yet functional blade… at least, not until it was too late.

"**Ola Azul**."

Yellow energy, like chakra yet not, fired from the blade's tip on course for the blonde man's head. He looked up just in time…for his head to explode in a shower of blood. Deidara's clay construct, along with his corpse, fell into the vast sands of the desert… where Deidara went out with a literal bang, utterly annihilating his corpse.

This explosion, however, was a mere whimper compared to the glorious end Deidara had once envisioned claiming him.

* * *

><p>The blonde-haired woman stared down at the smoke, satisfied when she no longer sensed any trace –living or dead—of the ninja of Akatsuki. That had been what set her off, recalling that black cloak with red clouds through the eyes of Naruto, and how helpless he had been before the perverted hermit showed up. Tia would not let any member of Akatsuki succeed where Sasuke's brother had failed, especially with how unfair Gaara's life had been.<p>

The white-clad woman slowly sheathed her zanpakuto, the blade sliding back into place quite easily. And then, after lowering herself to the soft sand, she took off toward the southeast, kicking a spray of the tiny, tiny rocks as she made her way back toward Gaara's village.

The former servant of Aizen ran for Suna as fast as she could with Garra slung over her shoulder., avoiding the even quicker use of Sonido. She knew that trips with the technique were quite discomforting to those untrained in its use. Tia did not even want to know how that raccoon dog inside Gaara would react.

_At least he is safe though..._ She inwardly told herself with a sigh of relief. If she had not gone and rescued him… there was no telling what that man and the rest of Akatsuki would have done to get his demon.

At her current speed, it only took half of an hour to return to the village and run through the other wall's gate. Tia, being a stranger, had not expected to be greeted with friendly faces; however, she had also not expected the open hostility that had greeted her. Civilian and shinobi alike seemed to be a mere push from snarling and striking at her.

"Kazekage-sama!" one of the villagers shouted with worry.

"It's her!" another, a civilian, exclaimed as he pointed an accusing finger at Tia herself. "She's the one who brought the water down and weakened Gaara-sama!"

"How dare you hurt Kazekage-sama!" one of the jounin demanded furiously.

A younger shinobi, a genin, judging by the lack of a vest and her younger age, then yelled. "I bet she's working with Akatsuki!"

The Privaron Espada –her official designation—sighed. So that was it. Her arrival had caused not only a torrent of water, but a flood of paranoia. She decided to raise her voice among the yells. "It is true!" she began, silencing them and very briefly applying her reiatsu to the surrounding area for effect in case her voice had not silenced them.

When all was truly silent, she released the pressure. "It is true, I did cause the torrent that likely caused your leader to lose the battle; however, that was a mistake on my part, one I rectified by going to rescue Gaara and slaying his captor."

"Move aside!" A young woman's voice rang out from the crowd. Two people, around Gaara's age, then appeared in front of Tia Harribel after weaving through the crowd. One was a girl in her late teens whom had her hair tied in four pony tails and a large metal fan strapped to her back. Next to her was a male around the same age. He was dressed in a black costume reminiscent of a feline, likely to stave off the heat of the desert, with white and purple paint over his face and scrolls strapped on his back.

… These were Temari and Kankuro, respectively. They were Gaara's siblings if she recalled correctly from Naruto's memories.

"Who are you?" the sandy-haired blonde demanded as her brother visibly fought to keep his gaze away from the woman's scant clothing. Kankuro was a pervert, but he clearly recognized when not to do something, at least in this case.

"My name is Tia Harribel. I came to return your Kazekage," the taller blonde responded coolly as she gently laid the unconscious upon the ground.

"Gaara!" Temari cried out as she and her brother rushed to their younger sibling's side.

The dark-skinned blonde watched over the family of three with deeply hidden anxiety as Temari held his mouth open and Kankuro forced in a type of pill. After a tense moment, Gaara's insomniac eyes began to open, focusing on the nearest face. "T-temari…? What happened? Where is that ninja from Akatsuki?"

"Dead," Tia answered bluntly, slowly drawing Gaara's gaze to her. "I killed him to rescue you."

The redhead's eyes narrowed with both skepticism and suspicion… before he nodded. "Thank you…" he muttered.

Immediately, the white-clad woman's eyes gained an even more serious edge. "Now then, Kazekage-sama, there is something of utmost importance I must discuss with you, and I would prefer for it to be away from such an expansive audience."

As he was helped to his feet by both brother and sister, Gaara nodded at the blonde's request. "We know a place where we may speak. Follow us."

And so, the walk would lead to the office of the Kazekage, where the door would be locked after Gaara, Temari, Kankuro, Tia herself, and last but not least, Baki, their former sensei, were all present within the office's walls. The oldest ninja in the room flashed through a set of hand seals, casting a genjustu over the perimeter.

"The silencing technique is set, Kazekage-sama," Baki announced in an official tone. "No one will hear what Harribel-san has to say to us so long as I maintain it."

"Now…" Gaara sat in his chair, facing the blonde who had saved his life. "Harribel-san, Baki called you… What is it you wish to speak to me about?" he asked as he crossed his arms, matching the position of Tia's own arms.

Green orbs framed with blonde eyelashes stared into lighter blue eyes circled in black.

"Gaara…" Tia began slowly, closing her eyes. "You once knew a boy by the name of Naruto Uzumaki, correct?" She reopened her eyes to see everyone tense. "He was… betrayed… He sacrificed everything for a village, and once they were done with him, he was cast aside and unjustly slain for holding a destructive force inside his very soul…"

"How do you know that?" Temari demanded. "I'm not proud of what happened! I'm sure I speak for everyone in this room when I say we're glad someone knows the truth, but Naruto Uzumaki was labeled and executed with official records branding him a traitor!"

"I know this because Naruto Uzumaki lives on," Tia explained. "Every memory, every taste, _everything_ that he has experienced in life lives on as a part of my very _being_..."

"What the hell are you spouting out, lady?" Kankuro asked with a raised voice while glaring at the spiky-haired blonde.

"You may find this difficult to believe, but I am what is called a Hollow, a lost soul of the dearly departed whom has died with negative emotions, which fester and grow until we become monsters, slaves to hunger. We live to fill the emptiness in our hearts by eating the souls of humans and other hollows." Tia explained, drawing looks of skepticism from three of the other people in the room.

Garra's eyes seemed to narrow. "So you are saying that...?" Garra asked in a calm tone, betraying the anger in his gaze at what this strange woman was implying.

"Yes," she announced regretfully, "In the past, I devoured the soul of Naruto Uzumaki. His soul is one of the many that make up my being." Tia responded while nodding.

Almost immediately, a torrent of sand then slammed into her and made her crash into the wall. Tia opened her eyes and saw Garra with his hand outstretched and his gourd open. Even though Gaara did not allow his face to show emotion, the taller blonde could see the raw fury in his eyes. While Tia could break out of the sand _quite easily,_ she wanted to avoid harming Naruto's –her—friend. The other three occupants of the room just stared in shock as Gaara stood up from his chair and walked to Tia.

"Why are you here?" Garra asked with disturbingly calm tone in his voice, greatly contrasting with the rage that brimmed in his eyes. "Do you wish to mock me? To take pleasure in the fact you have devoured one of my few true friends and brother?"

Tia shook her head and answered, "No Gaara. That is not what I wish. I wished to inform you because Naruto was your friend, and because he lives on in me you had the right to know of my return to the living."

"Return to the living? Spirits can die?" Temari asked as her voice finally came back to her.

Tia nodded before giving them the rundown of her death via Aizen and her subsequent return by the will of 'Kami'. When she finished her tale, all the occupants of the room were visibly dumbstruck.

"So, Naruto truly does live within you?" Gaara asked, the sand slowly receding off of Tia.

"Yes he does." Tia responded with a nod. _But only in the sense of a collective being part of the whole… _She dared not voice such thoughts, though.

"Does he... know what is happening at this moment?" Garra asked with a tint of hope in his voice.

"In a sense I suppose," the former Espada replied after thinking about it for a moment. She _was_ a combination of all the souls within her brought to one form, so it would make sense if they did know what was happening.

The arrancar received a sudden shock upon completing that sentence. As Gaara stepped forward and embraced her, Tia's normally stoic expression faltering in favor of her eyes going wide.

The redhead Kazekage whispered with the most emotion he had ever shown since the incident with his uncle… "Welcome back, my old friend."

Slowly, the dark-skinned woman returned the hug, feeling the joy within Naruto's soul at being reunited with his old friend. "He's glad… I'm glad… to see you too, Gaara." They then released the hug before turning back to the group who was still in shock about what just happened.

"… So… Naruto is a woman now?"

Four sets of eyes turned to gaze at Kankuro, Temari's in particular being narrowed, before she smacked him on the back of the head. "Pervert," she accused, growling.

"What? You can't tell me this doesn't freak you out, Temari!"

"Of course it does!" she responded. "But that doesn't give any right to make comments that could be taken as perverted! I saw how you were staring at her earlier!"

"About that," Baki, attention now on him, looked around the room. "For the sake of keeping our ninja focused, Harribel-san, I believe some… adjustments… will need to be made for your clothes."

Harribel raised an eyebrow. "Is it that revealing?"

Temari shook her head. "No. It's not that," she stated. "Believe me, if your clothes were a true issue, Konoha would have already torn into Anko Mitarashi for how risqué her mesh shirt is. Kunoichi are trained to seduce."

"Then what is wrong?"

"It's… the brightness," Baki stated. "While you are not a shinobi, it is something that draws attention you may not need, particularly from Konoha…"

"And also because it is the color of death?" she asked as she crossed her arms against the lower, exposed portion of her chest. Then, her eyes showed the signs of a very faint smile. "Or because Naruto Uzumaki wore a bright color?"

"… When one puts it that way… I think your arrival might have been an omen, Harribel-san," Baki stated, drawing looks. "When Gaara-sama was captured, just after you went to rescue him, we had sent a messenger hawk to Konoha for assistance…"

Kankuro summed up their collective thoughts pretty well.

"Fuck."

* * *

><p>Act II is completed! Harribel has arrived in the Land of Wind just in time to rescue Gaara, but now, with the message of Gaara's capture sent out too soon, Konoha will be visiting Suna.<p>

And don't worry, with Zetsu around, Akatsuki is sure to learn of Deidara's humiliating death. Deidara fans, I am sorry, but against Harribel, there was only one thing that could happen to him, and that was to get his ass handed to him before he could even try fighting her.

As for the initial strike… well, another thing I have never seen is zanpakuto's translated term, "soul cutter", being applied literally. Even Harribel herself was surprised.

**Next time is Act III: From Ripples to Waves**


	3. From Ripples to Waves

To Sacrifice for Life

Disclaimer: I own neither Naruto nor Bleach. Enough is said.

Act III: From Ripples to Waves

* * *

><p>Tia could currently be found sitting on top of Suna's the outer wall, the hot winds whipping her braids as her viridian orbs stared out toward the horizon, toward the east, toward the Land of Fire and Konoha.<p>

"You have many fans," Gaara's voice sounded as he appeared beside her in a swirl of sand, standing straight up with his arms still matching her arms, both sets crossed over their own chests.

"I noticed," Tia responded coolly, but with a slight tone of humor. The very instant she had exited the tower that housed Gaara's office the white-clad woman had been swarmed with young admirers, mostly genin whom had looked up to Gaara. It had surprised her that so many were willing to accept her without another thought... well, without another thought besides her first impression. Then it took her twenty minutes to calm them and send them on their merry ways. "Saving the leaders of villages of ninja or foreign countries… it seems almost a routine for Naruto."

"Does it?"

The dark-skinned woman nodded slightly. "Shibuki-san of Takigakure, Yukie-sama of the Land of Snow turned to Spring, and now you, through me, Gaara…" She did not count the Team Seven's mission to the Land of Waves. In truth, while Naruto had inspired the people, it was a team effort.

"Naruto was always one for heroics and impacting others…"

"His memories prove that."

For a brief period, there was silence between Espada and Kazekage.

"Shouldn't you be doing paperwork?" Tia asked of Gaara as she turned her gaze toward him.

"Temari offered to take care of it while I visit with you," the young redhead responded. "Besides, I wish to _greet_ the squad Konoha sent for my rescue."

"Relations have been tense?"

Gaara's only response was to nod.

"I see…" The woman closed her eyes, concentrating and stretching out her Pesquisa.

Gaara stared at Tia, bewildered by her silence.

Only after five minutes of silence, Gaara staring at her the entire time, did the former servant of Aizen speak. "… Our guests are near," she stated. "It will be another thirty minutes, perhaps a few minutes less at their current speed. There are four, likely lead by a jounin." As she spoke, the arrancar slowly pushed herself to stand up.

Once she and Gaara stood side by side, Tia reopened her eyes. "I believe they sent Sasuke Uchiha, Sakura Haruno, Shino Aburame, and Kakashi Hatake."

"_Joy_," the redhead Kazekage let out with an uncharacteristic tone of sarcasm.

The white-clad blonde immediately leaped from the wall, landing in front of the village's gate with her arms still crossed. "I will greet them for you, 'Kazekage-sama'," she announced to him, using his title to let Gaara know she would be formal while Team Seven was present so suspicion –or at least, more suspicion—would not be drawn to Gaara.

The redhead nodded, vanishing in a shroud of sand which was soon caught in the wind and blown away.

The spiky-haired blonde kept a cold stare on the horizon as black dots slowly became clear shapes.

A man only just taller than her with gravity-defying gray hair –strange, for it had lost the silvery shine present in Naruto's memories—and his face covered aside from a single brown eye led the group.

_Kakashi-sensei…_

To Kakashi Hatake's left was a young man garbed just like him, in the Konoha standard navy blue uniform and green chuunin vest. His hair was dark and sleek, framing his face. Below the forehead protector, two dark eyes stood out against pale yet fair skin.

_Sasuke-teme…_

To Kakashi's right was a pink-haired girl garbed in red. Harribel did not need to observe any further details to recognize her.

_Sakura…_

And the fourth member… was covered a gray hood. … Wow, was really that Shino? She barely recognized him from Naruto's memories, even if she recognized his aura.

Still, with the other three, Harribel could feel Naruto's own feelings of hatred and betrayal stir. Her green eyes shined bright aqua, as if to convey the deceased Jinchuuriki's feelings.

_Calm down_, she inwardly told both herself and Naruto's soul. _Getting upset at the mere sight of them will not change a thing._

And then, the team ceased their steps before her.

"Greetings, Konoha shinobi," Tia greeted them with an icy edge to her words.

* * *

><p>Kakashi became cautious upon hearing that icy tone, but he tried to play off the nervousness. "Greetings," he answered curtly. "Who are you, miss?" He could tell this strange, white-clad woman was a trained warrior of some sort by the way she carried herself, practically radiating a leader's confidence… and something else.<p>

Sakura was, in turn, staring at the woman as she wondered two things. How could this woman stand the desert weather in such garbs, and why did she wear something so… so… indecent! The underside of her breasts was showing, for crying out loud!

Shino did not let any emotions show on his face, assisted by the hood he wore in keeping anything from slipping out. This woman was a stranger, though, and that concerned him.

Sasuke scowled at the presense of this beautiful warrior. Who was she? Why was she greeting them at the gate? He wouldn't be the first to admit she was easy on the eyes, but even he recognized she was more than she appeared. Considering her rather generous bust, that was saying something.

"My name is Tia Harribel," the dark-skinned blonde introduced herself as she bowed slightly. "May I ask why you have come all the way to Suna?"

The gray-haired jounin stepped closer as he responded to the question. "Our Hokage received a message of distress from Suna. We were informed that the had been captured by a member of Akatsuki, and we were sent to assist in retrieving him."

Quite suddenly, a small geyser of sand erupted from the dunes, right next to this "Tia Harribel". From it, an unharmed Subaku no Gaara rose, his calm, cold gaze bearing down upon the ninja of Konoha. "The danger has passed, Kakashi-san. I am alright now, and have been since shortly after the messenger hawk was sent out."

Kakashi blinked, dumbfounded to see the 'captured' Kazekage. "Kazekage-sama…" he began, slowly standing to attention. "If we were not needed, who were your rescuers?"

"Or did you even need to be rescued at all?" Sasuke asked with tone tone full of accusation. "How do we know you didn't just send the hawk to waste time or ambush us."

"That is enough, Sasuke Uchiha."

* * *

><p>Tia frowned and narrowed her eyes as attention became focused on her. "I assure you, the messenger hawk was not meant to waste your time. Shortly before it was sent, I had gone on ahead to rescue Kazekage-sama and slay the ninja who had taken him."<p>

Kakashi raised an eyebrow of skepticism. "Would you elaborate on exactly how you rescued Kazekage-sama?"

Before the blond could even think of answering yes or no, Gaara spoke up for her. "The information on my rescue and anything pertaining to Harribel-san is all classified, Hatake-san."

Sakura, also skeptical, voiced her own thoughts. "How can one person defeat an Akatsuki operative?" she demanded. "Their ranks are said to contain only S-ranked criminals, including Itachi Uchiha!"

Shino had no comment to add in, it seemed. He remained as silent has he had ever been, merely observing the dark-skinned woman.

"It does not matter whether you believe me or not," the white-clad woman responded as she closed her eyes. "All that matters is that I have killed the rogue shinobi and rescued Kazekage-sama."

Sasuke narrowed his eyes, those orbs brimming with curiosity as he stared at the beautiful woman's half-concealed –what was it with mysterious people covering their faces—face. "If you truly defeated a ninja of Akatsuki you must be quite strong."

Tia sighed, and then she reopened her eyes, matching Sasuke's own stare… which held interest? Oh gods… she was being reminded of the accidental kiss. Damn, that had been a horrible experience for Naruto… and Tia shared the memory through Naruto's eyes and emotions. Still, it would be rude to not answer…

"Strength was not a factor, Uchiha-san. I was an unknown variable to Gaara's captor, and gave him no chance to learn of me in combat."

Sasuke's eyes narrowed even thinner, the interest seeming to fade and be replaced by scorn. "So you ambushed him, like a coward."

"Uchiha-san, you are a shinobi, correct?" the woman asked rhetorically. "I would think sneak attacks are quite common in your profession."

"If you think so… then try this!" Sasuke yelled as he suddenly charged at the blonde woman, smirking as he readied a kunai to slash for her jaw. He did not plan on killing this woman, but he DID demanded respect, and he utterly hated being questioned, especially by strangers. He wasn't about to waste is chakra!

Before anyone could even think of telling Sasuke to stand down, one of Tia's crossed arms quickly shot out, grabbing the arm.

Immediately, Sasuke twisted for a kick, a reverse of what he had tried on Kakashi during the bell test nearly four years ago… only for the blonde woman to side-step and slam him into the wall of the gate.

A sickening crack rang through the desert air.

"Uchiha-san… What you just did was foolish. You attacked me head on, expecting for me to be caught off guard by the transition from conversation to battle… When instead, it would have been wiser to be faster and attempt attacking me from the back. A frontal attack, in a real battle, may have easily cost the lives of your comrades."

Sasuke winced as he tried to sit up, clutching his ribs and favoring the arm that had dropped the kunai as he glared at her.

_He's just like Nnoitora…_

"Harribel-san," she heard Kakashi speak as the pink-haired girl ran past to attend to Sasuke. "Don't you think you used too much force?"

"Perhaps," the woman admitted, turning to Kakashi as she recrossed her arms under her chest. "In turn, don't you believe you should have stopped him from attacking me in the first place?" Before Kakashi could answer, she continued. "He's exactly like someone I know," she stated with clear bitterness.

"Someone you know?" This time, it was Shino who finally spoke.

The spiky-haired and braided blonde nodded. "He was weaker than me, and I was by two positions his superior; however, he saw everyone but himself as inferior. He believed he was the strongest simply out of arrogance."

She closed her eyes, envisioning mint-framed face of her predecessor. "My one time superior often beat him regularly when he challenged her with his supposed strength. Time and time again, every challenge ended the same… until she disappeared and I took her place." Those green eyes reopened, turning back to give Sasuke a frigid look. "It is only safe to assume that man eliminated her indirectly, since he could not defeat her himself. Uchiha-san is just like him in almost every way, striving for power and believing him was untouchable. Right now I look at him and see that twisted creature snarling at me instead."

When the former Espada turned to face Kakashi again, he seemed visibly unnerved by her words, tensing up. So, even he saw the negative aspects of the boy he was clearly doting on... She didn't know whether it was better or worse that he knew he may have essentially been risking his village.

"Sasuke-kun is nothing like that!" Sakura denied in anger as she stood up from attending to Sasuke. "He just wants to kill his brother and avenge his clan!"

"Tell me, girl," Tia began to respond as she faced Sakura with that same frigid look, "if that is true, then why did Uchiha-san not stand up for one Naruto Uzumaki when he was executed? If he simply wishes to kill this brother, then why allow the boy who beat him and brought him back to his village die? Most likely for the very same reason that my predecessor vanished, since he could not beat him directly seeing him die was good enough."

"How do you know about Naruto-san?" Shino inquired as he raised an eyebrow. The other ninja of Konoha all looked like they wished to know as well.

"Kazekage-sama believed that it is beneficial to inform me to know his allies right down to the last detail." Tia lied.

"But Naruto's death was needed!" Sakura stated. "Akatsuki would have come to threaten the village if he had remained!"

"… Nothing justifies betrayal," Tia responded to those words as she turned her back to Team Seven to walk through the gate, as if to drop the subject. "Kazekage-sama, I believe it would be wise to check Uchiha-san into Suna's hospital.

Gaara nodded, already manipulating the sand to carry Sasuke. He turned to gaze at the team, his gaze as cold as ever. "It would be wise for _all_ you to not antagonize her," he let out with a calm, cold tone.

Kakashi nodded in acceptance, staring toward the back of the dark-skinned woman's head as they walked. _Just who is this woman?_

* * *

><p>"Deidara never made it back to the base in the Land of Rivers?" a man with striking, spiky orange hair asked of his subordinate, a strange man whose very visage was half black and half white, as if two men had been vertically sliced in two and their halves had been sewn together<p>

The strange man, Zetsu, shook his head. "No, Pein-sama," he answered. "He barely even got away from the village before a woman in white ambushed him. They were too high in the air for words to be read, but I did see her fire a strange attack of chakra from the sword she carried."

"… See what else you can find on this mysterious woman, Zetsu," Pein told him. Zetsu's flytrap 'coat' engulfed his body, and then he tunneled out of the meeting room. "As for the rest of us… Deidara was a truly great ninja of Akatsuki. Let us have a moment of silence in his honor."

Each of the eight present members of Akatsuki bowed their heads, humoring their leader, and each having their own thoughts over this new factor.

* * *

><p>And this completes Act III: From Ripples to Waves! Yahoo! This chapter wasn't a big ordeal, but it still took some time to do.<p>

Also…

Wow, I knew this story would be looked at due to being a crossover between Naruto and Bleach, but I had no idea that it would receive reviews so soon!

Team Seven has come to Suna, and Harribel has shown just why she is not to be messed with! What happens next? … I'll get back to you on that. I have to warn you that not every chapter will come as fast as these first three.

The next chapter is called Act IV: Splashdown!

And now, to show why one cliché would NEVER have worked out!

* * *

><p>"<em><strong>Chidori<strong>_!"

His kekkei genkai blazing in his eyes, Sasuke charged for the spiky-haired woman, thrusting his arm forward to impale straight through her chest as he had done to Naruto all those years ago… but nothing happened, and in his shock, Sasuke released the technique.

Harribel looked down at the shocked boy with a raised brow. She watched as the  
>Uchiha's face turned as red as his Sharingan, and then she decided to speak.<p>

"Are you quite done groping my breast?" She asked with annoyance surprisingly  
>clear in her otherwise calm voice.<p>

Sasuke could barely raise his head to meet her eyes, but when he did he wished  
>he hadn't. In place of green, familiar blue eyes were staring back at him.<p>

"Sasuke-teme."

The beating Tia Harribel gave him became a legend, spoken of for years to come.  
>After all, she already had the memories of kissing the prick; there was no way<br>he was getting away with feeling her up as well.


	4. Splashdown

To Sacrifice for Life

Disclaimer: I own neither Naruto nor Bleach. Enough is said.

Act IV: Splashdown

* * *

><p>A very bitter Sasuke Uchiha stared down at his arm as the splint was being set and gauze was being wrapped around it. In hindsight, deciding to attack and 'test' the woman whom had apparently rescued the Kazekage had been one of his worst ideas yet. The woman was an unknown, and he had just decided to strike at her for talking back.<p>

Even knowing what he did now, though, Sasuke was still, to put it bluntly, pissed off. That woman had talked down to him like he was inferior, as if she had known him. He resisted the urge to snarl. How dare she speak to him as if he was a child, like he was a weak toddler!

"How are you doing Sasuke?" Kakashi asked as he entered the room with Sakura and Shino behind him.

"Yes, I'm fine Kakashi. But, what will be that woman's punishment be?" Sasuke asked, hoping that woman –beautiful as she was—would be punished for using excessive force in defending herself when she could have possibly just avoided his attack altogether. He didn't expect some ridiculous death sentence, but Sasuke wanted retribution. All he did was _visibly_ draw a kunai and kick at her!

"She will not be punished, Sasuke," Kakashi responded with a sigh and a shake of his head.

"Why not?" Sasuke snarled in anger. "The Lands of Wind and Fire are allied nations! She's clearly not any ninja from Suna, otherwise I wouldn't have tested her! The Kazekage even witnessed it, and he did not bother to stop me with his sand!"

"To be fair Sasuke-kun, you did attack her first," Sakura said nervously as she looked to a wall. Even though she liked Sasuke she knew nobody was perfect. Sasuke's hair-trigger temper was one such imperfection.

"She should not have dared to criticize me when she knows nothing about me! Who does she think she is, comparing me to some weakling that used to be her partner?" Sasuke yelled in anger. He did not like being compared to anyone, let alone in a negative light.

_Perhaps... she was not far off_, Kakashi thought in sorrow. The gray-haired jounin had been noticed Sasuke's attitude deteriorating since Naruto was executed. Sure, Kakashi himself supported Naruto's execution… but only because it would protect Konoha from the Akatsuki. He did not take any personal joy in it and he even believed a little bit of himself died inside when he betrayed his student. Contrary to belief of most jounin, Kakashi had not taken personal joy in allow Naruto's growth to be stunted in favor of him focusing on using the power of the demon within his body.

_Every night I tell myself it was for the greater good, but for some reason it won't make the pain in my soul go away_. The memories Kakashi usually drowned away in sake were resurfacing because of one Tia Harribel.

"She was wrong for criticizing you Sasuke-kun, but you should not have lowered yourself as to let it get to you," the Uchiha's pink-haired admirer responded, also scowling at the fact Tia Harribel had the nerve to criticizing Sasuke when she didn't know a thing about him! She even had the gall to bring up Naruto's execution! It may not have been right, but his death was justified! Sure, she was angry with him for hurting Sasuke… and then sad to have to watch him be beheaded, because the Kyuubi no Youko was sealed within him… but it was for the good of Konoha!

"Your anger for Harribel-san's criticism was illogical Sasuke-san." Shino commented. He did not allow Tia's comments get to him. Naruto's death, after all was a logical, necessary evil. He had gotten over the fact.

"I have heard enough," Garra spoke before he entered the room.

"Kazekage-sama," Kakashi began, not surprised with his appearance, since the younger shinobi had witnessed Sasuke attacking his blonde savoir. "I apologize on behalf—"

"I see that Uchiha-san is recovered," the redhead interrupted. "That is fortunate. Now that your reason for arriving in Sunagakure has passed, I request that you return to your village in the morning. We must repair the damage Suna suffered from the battle." Garra spoke with his eyes slightly narrowed.

"Um… Kazekage-sama…" Sakura began, "What will be Sasuke-kun's punishment," the pink-haired teenager sounded like she had not wanted to put those two words together, "for attacking Harribel-san?"

"…" Gaara closed his eyes, as if he was actually thinking of suitable sentence. "… Uchiha-san shall receive no punishment," the redhead stated flatly. "His humiliation at Harribel-san's hand is fitting enough."

Sasuke scowled at those words, but dared not retort to the Kazekage.

* * *

><p>Tia was leaning on the edge of the roof, her eyes closed as she contemplated everything that had occurred in the short span of time since she had seen Team Seven over the horizon.<p>

The more things change, the more they stay the same… Konoha's people had been changed by time, but who they were remained the same.

Haruno-san, while a bit more mature, was still one of Sasuke's admirers at heart. Unless Naruto-san was dramatic in those memories, she would have verbally defended "Sasuke-kun's" attack in the past.

Uchiha-san was, according to Naruto's memories, still the same arrogant jerk, perhaps worse, but now he seemed to think he could get away with anything.

Shino-san… actually, Shino was hard to peg down. He seemed more reserved then what Naruto-san's memories indicated, but Naruto-san had never known him that well in the first place.

Hatake-san … seemed… depressed, lacking his old aloof attitude.

… _And now_, Tia realized, _I'm associating them in my head as Naruto-san did… Just what is happening to me?_

It wasn't like her at all… getting so emotional… or at least showing it all. She wasn't like Ulquiorra by any means, but she also wasn't some giggling schoolgirl or emotional wreck. … She was… simply herself…

Unbidden, images of something from Naruto's past flashed through her mind. A ball of energy… no… a condensed typhoon…

… _The Rasengan… I wonder…_

Naruto-san had used that technique only a handful of times before death claimed him. Perhaps she could do it?

She pushed herself up from the wall, walking over to the edge of the roof, and then held up one arm in front of her body, the palm up to the bright blue sky as she concentrated, as if she was staring at a ball in her hand. Then, Tia lifted her other hand and began patting the imaginary ball. It started slow, testing, as the Privaron Espada focused to bring her reiryoku toward her hands and only toward her hands.

As she steadily increased the speed of her movements, something began to form from her yellow-hued energy.

It was a malformed sphere of power… It wasn't like the technique she had seen in Naruto's soul… This was a solid orb, while the technique she had tried to use was a swirling mass of destruction.

With resignation, the white-clad blond quietly drew the energy back in.

"What were you trying to do?" Temari's voice sounded behind the arrancar.

"…" The older-looking woman crossed her arms once again, keeping her back to Temari. "… It was a technique Naruto-san knew in life. I do not believe you have seen it."

"Rasengan?" Temari asked with a tone that sounded like she knew what she was talking about.

"… How did you know?"

"A certain traitor described it shortly after Naruto's execution."

"…" Tia closed her eyes. "I see…"

"I've been meaning to ask… While you hold Naruto's… soul…" The sole female of the dubbed "Sand Siblings" sounded like she was still trying to wrap her head around that tidbit of information. "…you hold no true loyalty to any village, right?"

"… You wish for me to join Sunagakure no Sato?" the taller blonde asked as she turned to look at Temari.

"Yes. From what the villagers and ninja witnessed, you have a high affinity for water. In case of war, it would be an edge given to us."

"… I decline."

"What?" Temari got within the spiky-haired blonde's vision.

"While Naruto-san was wronged in his life, and I house what remnants of his soul there are left, that does not mean we are one in the same."

"I never said you were," Temari responded with a scowl.

"But you implied it with mention of war. You assume I actively seek vengeance for something that happened before I became… _me_." Green eyes stared into brown. "While I wish for vengeance against the one who used _me_ as a pawn, there is little point in going to war with that village. Many lives would be unnecessarily sacrificed."

"So you won't join the village, even for Gaara?"

"Do not try using your brother as a form of blackmail," Tia told Temari with a bite to her tone.

The sandy blonde had the decency to be ashamed as she looked away… just as the Kazekage himself appeared via his trademark gust of sand.

'Tia-san, Kakashi-san and his team are going to leave soon."

"I see…" the spiky-haired blonde responded as she looked over a shoulder at the redhead.

"Tia-san, may I ask you a question?"

She nodded. "You may."

"Why did you not kill Uchiha-san when you had the chance?"

"Humiliation is a more fitting punishment," she responded as she turned away.

"Even so, you had every right to do so, especially with what happened to the part of you that, in your words, is Naruto."

"… It is true that I resent Uchiha-san for being a cause of Naruto-san's death; however I will not kill him because of something that happened years in the past. I am not a child, and I do not believe Naruto-san would like me to kill one of his former friends, despite the betrayal."

"What of Konoha? What shall you do with them, then?"

"It is irrelevant to me whether Konoha burns or prospers. I am starting a new life in this world…" She closed her eyes. "…and I shall not waste it delivering vengeance, even if the ones I wish to direct it toward deserve every ounce of my fury." Wasting time delivering vengeance, as much as she had valued her fallen fraccion, had blinded Tia to the true threat that was Aizen.

"… Even from beyond the grave, Naruto proves himself to be the bigger man in a petty world," Gaara commented.

"You believe he influences me?" Tia inquired as she opened her eyes to gaze at the construction.

"... At this point, what I believe is irrelevant."

* * *

><p>The following morning was fairly uneventful. Tia Harribel had sat on the outer walls of Suna, facing Hi no Kuni, as she watched the team of four leave village.<p>

Kakashi and Sasuke were the only ones to spare her a glance.

"Well…" Kakashi began, breaking the silence that had consumed them fifteen minutes after their first step out of the desert village. "This was… eventful."

"Eventful?" Sakura began. "Yeah, I'll say it was. Sasuke-kun, you let your temper get the best of you!"

He only grunted, nodding in acknowledgement of his foolishness.

"And that woman," Sakura went on. "Who dresses like that in the desert? Let alone, who outside Konoha could have the power to match even a single member of Akatsuki?"

"Harribel-san, apparently," Shino answered. "Perhaps Orochimaru is that powerful as well, if we were to be completely honest with ourselves. Then there are the forces from other villages as possible variables."

"Okay, I get your point," the pink-haired teenager interrupted with a huff. "Regardless, if she had known Sasuke-kun was—"

"That's enough, Sakura!" Sasuke commanded. "I messed up and I paid for it, end of story."

"… Right, Sasuke-kun…"

"See," Kakashi began, trying to smile and block out the negative air, "everything worked out. Gaara-sama is safe, and since we answered, even if we were not in time, our villages' alliance should remain."

Still, even as they walked, their minds refused to stop drifting to the enigma that was Tia Harribel.

"What will we tell Tsunade-sama, though?" Sakura asked the gray-haired masked man.

"What else can we tell, but the truth?" Shino asked. "I am more concerned on how the council will react…"

Ah, _them_.

The council had been a thorn in not only the side of the current Hokage, but in the side of the shinobi forces as well. Those of the council whom represented the civilians, whom the Sandaime Hokage had given more power when he took up his second term, kept demanding for Sasuke to be given private techniques and teaching periods, trying to earn the good graces of the "future head of the new Uchiha Clan". Well, most of them did, anyway, while a couple had just wanted life to continue as normally as possible. They had been what led to Naruto's execution in the first place, threatening an uprising if the "demon" was not dealt with.

Even Sasuke himself was fed up with their attempts to spoil him. He wasn't a baby, and he had already used borrowed power before… and he had failed.

"I suppose they will petition to list Harribel-san in the Bingo Book," Kakashi admitted. "With how much they value Sasuke, they will not stand for him being attacked, even in self defense."

"Can they even _legally_ do that?" Sasuke asked with a tone that sounded a little too proud. "She did save the Kazekage."

"If I know them, Sasuke, they will try."

"…" Sasuke turned away after his question had been answered.

Kakashi and Sakura each spared Sasuke a glance. Over the years after his defeat at Naruto's hands, Sasuke had been getting more and more temperamental, to understate it. He took unnecessary risks; he jeopardized clients' lives on escort missions, and so on, refusing to cooperate with others. Sasuke just wasn't the same kid anymore…

He was just as Tia Harribel had described, from what they could see.

Well, they had a story to tell when they returned to the village.

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><p><em>More than a little rushed in execution, but Act IV has finally come!<em>

_This… was difficult. Again, I'm trying –key word- to branch off from the normal clichés. Sorry it is so short. I'm sure many were looking forward to this chapter being longer._

_Anyway, next time, we shift focus to Konoha for a bit on Act V: Crashing Waves!_

_And a fair warning… I have plans for Sasuke… the not-too-cliché kind._


	5. Crashing Waves

To Sacrifice for Life

Disclaimer: I own neither Naruto nor Bleach. Enough is said.

Act V: Crashing Waves

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><p>Konohagure no Sato had changed so much since the day of Naruto Uzumaki's execution. From the outside, it looked the same as ever, but on the inside, its military forces had been greatly divided over the farce that was Naruto's death.<p>

It was all to stop the civilians from having a tantrum and causing a civil war.

Some believed it necessary for the sake of the village. They had nothing against the young blonde, but his lack of control or proper training had caused great concern among their ranks. They only hoped he was at peace in heaven, now, away from the torment he had endured through his entire life.

Some of the more paranoid shinobi, minds gradually weakened under the strain of war and combat, were glad the blonde was dead, not caring about him due to the fox's new host, whose bloodline allowed him greater control over the fox's power.

That's right. Somehow, some way, the higher-ups had exposed a flaw in the seal and warped it to transfer the fox without killing the new host.

A tailed beast was essentially a cornerstone to the power of every village. Kumogakure no Sato had the Nibi no Nekomata and the Hachibi no Ushi-oni. Sunagakure no Sato had the Ichibi no Tanuki, commonly called Shukaku. Even with Naruto's death, they could not afford to be rid of the fox. Such a thing was asking for war. Sure, it required messing up the seal the Yondaime Hokage had put on Naruto's body, but it wasn't too hard to screw a seal up, even such a well-constructed one. If not for exactly who the new host was, said host would have… well, died instantly.

That is enough about Konoha as a whole…

Shikimaru Nara, the leader of the younger of two Ino-Shika-Cho squads, was thinking about all these things and more as he sat in that same booth where his team has always gathered. He had read over the mission report that had been given by Team Seven, read of a mysterious woman's comments about Sasuke and Naruto… Kakashi was always detailed with his reports. As one could imagine, it had gotten Shikimaru thinking over the death and slander of one of their most loyal shinobi, Naruto Uzumaki.

In his opinion, Naruto's death had been unnecessary. This was a village of ninja, not one of those merchant towns. If the civilians rebelled, they could quickly be put in their place. When the Sandaime Hokage went through his second term as Hokage, the man had been more lenient toward the village as a whole, even when it came to Naruto's treatment.

No one actually stooped to attacking him, at least, no one formed mobs, but a kid didn't have to be physically assaulted for damage to be done. Naruto's growth as a ninja has been stunted at the academy. His later instructor, Kakashi Hatake, had been unwittingly—at least, it was believed to be unwittingly—responsible for Naruto relying on the chakra of the Kyuubi no Youko. Sure, it was the strategy for most of the villages, but NO ONE had bothered to train him in the use of that power until Jaraiya came along.

The dark-haired jounin sighed. The more he thought about things involving Naruto, the more he thought about how everyone else had been affected. The rookie teams, while initially part of the crowd, were all dealing with themselves over things.

Ino Yamanaka and Sakura Haruno were side-by-side apprentices to the Hokage herself… and to this day, they remained obsessed fans of Sasuke Uchiha. The only real difference was that they now had some power, and Sakura had matured a little… Instead of defending Sasuke at every turn and every screw up he made, she actually berated him.

Chouji Akamichi… just didn't eat as much as he used to. Considering his family techniques ran on all that body fat and calories being burned, this actually hindered Chouji's growth as a ninja.

Shino Aburame just continued on life as normal, trying not to look back.

Kiba Inuzuka, like Shino, was trying to move on. He didn't hate Naruto, but he chose to not grieve, expressing that if they hadn't been "such callous bastards", Naruto would not have wanted them to keep mourning all their lives.

Hinata Hyuuga… she was devasted, but instead of falling into depression, she started to work harder at being a shinobi. Oh, she was still shy, timid Hinata Hyuuga, but now she had some bite to her attacks.

Last, and definitely least, in Shikimaru's opinion, was Sasuke Uchiha. He was… an enigma. His public displays, his pride, all pointed to him being proud of Naruto's death, proud to have still ultimately bested the blonde shinobi due to his status as the last of a clan.

But…

Shikimaru had seen him alone, at the memorial stone that Kakashi had often visited. When the jounin saw the dark-eyed teen that day, he didn't see the prideful bastard whom had betrayed his village and gotten away with it.

He saw a regretful human being, one whom had grown up too fast.

Shikimaru had asked Sasuke why he was there, and the Uchiha had responded with cryptic somberness.

"His name should be on this stone."

It was all so troublesome…

Shikimaru shook himself from those thoughts, grabbing for a bite of his ordered meal, a large bowl of ramen, complete with all the dressings including that little spiraling slice of fish cake.

"Here's to you, Naruto."

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><p>I'm sorry for the delay, folks. This was a… troublesome… chapter. Not because of length, though, as you see. It was troublesome because, well, let's face it, what has NOT been done in these "someone in Konoha regrets betrayal" situations?<p>

I wrote this chapter out because it seemed like standard procedure. Naruto's reincarnated self makes an impression, shinobi report back, and someone thinks about past sins.

Dear. Lord. I tire of these common plot elements, but still, when you're on the end of your rope, you're on the end of your rope.

Now for bad news: I'm not sure I'll be able to continue this one. I could TRY, but if I do so, I am worried I will fall into the same clichés I am trying to avoid.

So, until further notice, this is a DEAD STORY, perhaps up for adoption. I'm sorry, folks. I understand if you decide to remove it from your Favorites Lists…

I did intend for a lot more, believe me. We would have gone to an odd Sasori vs Tia battle, because he's still alive, and then more standard plot elements… However, just because she utterly curb-stomped Deidara does not mean I was going to have her walk all over the opposition. Itachi's genjutsu abilities are still unfamiliar territory for the former Espada. Kisame, believe it or not, was planned to fight on even ground with Tia. Other battles, such as Sasuke finally killing Itachi or Team Ten vs Hidan and Kakazu, were intended to work out close to canon, aside from someone coming in with a Rasenshuriken, so I might as well have skipped those…

I intended to end it with one climatic battle between Tia –okay, I know her actual name is "Tier", but Tia sounded more feminine—and Sasuke… whom, obvious spoilers, had become the new host and is not happy with Konoha about it. I had actually written that chapter out, partly.

Before this story becomes officially dead or adoptable, though, if someone requests it, I will post what I have for that last climatic fight… I'm sorry. I really am, but I fear if I continue further with this story… it will just decay and stagnate.

To those whom looked forward to more, I am sorry for disappointing you. I do know how half-assed this chapter was.


End file.
